Stand for supporting a tree

ABSTRACT

A tree stand for suspending a tree is disclosed. In one illustrative embodiment, the tree stand may include a base for providing stability for the tree stand and a center pole for suspending the tree above the base. The center pole may have a first end, a second end, and a length extending therebetween. The first end of the center pole may be coupled to the base and the second end, which may be coupled to the tree, may be spaced a distance from the base defining an angle between the center pole and the base. In some cases, the center pole may be extendable.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to stands for supporting atree.

BACKGROUND

Many stands for displaying a decorative or Christmas tree are available.Typically, these stands include a wide base to provide stability for thestand, and a structure positioned generally in the center of the basefor gripping the lower end of the tree. Such a stand attempts to displaythe decorative or Christmas tree in a straight and upright orientation.However, in many situations, it may be difficult and/or time consumingto properly orient the decorative or Christmas tree in using thesestands due to difficulty in accessing the lower end of the tree as wellas compensating for bends, notches and/or other deformities that arecommonly found in the lower trunk of such trees. Thus, there is anongoing need to provide alternative stand structures for displaying atree.

SUMMARY

The following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of someof the innovative features unique to the present disclosure and is notintended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the disclosurecan be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, andabstract as a whole.

The present disclosure relates generally to tree stands. In oneillustrative embodiment, a tree stand is provided that suspends a treefrom a location that is well above the lower end of the tree such asabove the center of gravity of the tree. In some cases, the tree standmay include a base for providing stability for the tree stand and one ormore center poles for suspending the tree above the base. The centerpole may have a first end, a second end, and a length extendingtherebetween. The first end of the center pole may be coupled to thebase, and the second end may be spaced a distance from the base definingan angle between the center pole and the base. The second end of thecenter pole may be configured to be coupled to the tree. In some cases,the center pole may be extendable and, in some cases, the tree stand maybe collapsible, but this is not required.

The preceding summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of someof the innovative features unique to the present disclosure and is notintended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the disclosurecan be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, andabstract as a whole.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The invention may be more completely understood in consideration of thefollowing detailed description of various illustrative embodiments ofthe disclosure in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of a treestand;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the illustrative tree stand ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the illustrative tree stand of FIG. 1 ina collapsed state;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the illustrative tree stand of FIG. 1suspending a tree;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an illustrative tree connectorconfigured to engage the illustrative tree stand of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tree connector of FIG. 5 coupled toan illustrative tree trunk; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the illustrative tree stand of FIG. 1suspending a tree, similar to FIG. 4, showing a container for wateringthe tree.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description should be read with reference to the drawingswherein like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout theseveral views. The detailed description and drawings show severalembodiments which are meant to be illustrative of the claimed invention.

The following disclosure has be described with reference to relativeterms, such as “upwards”, “downwards”, “top”, “bottom”, “up”, “down”,“left”, “right”, as well as other relative terms. It is to be understoodthat this is merely for simplicity and is not meant to be limiting inany manner.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are perspective views of an illustrative embodiment of atree stand 10. In the illustrative embodiment, the tree stand 10 mayinclude a base, generally shown at 12, configured to provide stabilityto the stand 10. The illustrative tree stand 10 also includes a centerpole 14 configured to extend a distance upwards from the base 12 tosuspend a decorative or Christmas tree from an upper end of the centerpole 14. As illustrated, the base 12 may include leg 11 and leg 13. Inthe illustrative example, one end of leg 11 may be connected to one endof leg 13 via a connector 15 forming a generally v-shaped configuration.Fastener 36 may connect leg 11 to connector 15 and fastener 34 mayconnect leg 13 to connector 15. In one example, fasteners 34 and 36 maybe a screw, bolt, or other fastener as desired. In other example, it iscontemplated that the legs 11 and 13 may be welded or otherwise securedto connector 15, or in yet other example, legs 11 and 13 may be weldedor otherwise secured directly to each other.

In some embodiments, a support rod 24 may be connected to leg 11 and leg13 to help maintain the relative position or angle between the legs 11and 13. To secure support rod 24 to leg 11 and leg 13, fasteners 38 and39, respectively, may be used. In one example, fastener 38 may beprovided through an opening in one end of the support rod 24 and throughan opening provided in leg 11. Similarly, fastener 39 may be providedthrough an opening in one end of the support rod 24 and through anopening provided in leg 13. Similar to the fasteners discussed above,fasteners 38 and 39 may be a screw, bolt, or other fastener as desired.In other example, it is contemplated that the legs 11 and 13 may bewelded or otherwise secured to support rod 24.

The foregoing base 12 is merely illustrative and it is contemplated thatany suitable base structure may be used, as desired. For example, thebase 12 may be a generally planar structure, the base 12 may includemore than two legs 11 and 13, and/or the base 12 may be formed in adifferent shape (e.g. rectangular, square, circle, etc.). These are justa few example alternative structures. Although not shown, it iscontemplated that the legs 11 and 13 may be telescopic or extendable, ifdesired.

As illustrated, the center pole 14 may have a first end connected to thebase 12 via connector 15, or in other cases directly, and a second endextending away from the base 12 at an angle. In the illustrativeembodiment, the angle between the base 12 and the center pole 14 may beany suitable angle between 0 and 90 degrees, between 45 and 90 degrees,between 50 and 80 degrees, between 60 and 80 degrees, or any othersuitable angle or angle range, as desired. In the illustrativeembodiment, the center pole 14 may be telescopic or otherwiseextendable, but this is not required. When telescopic, the center pole14 may include an inner pole member 16 and an outer pole member 18configured to at least partially receive the inner pole member 16. Insome cases, the center pole 14 may include a fixed state and a moveablestate. In the fixed state, the inner pole member 16 may be fixedrelative to the outer pole member 18, as will be discussed in furtherdetail. In the moveable state, the inner pole member 16 may be moveablerelative to the outer pole member 18 to adjust the length of the centerpole 14.

As illustrated, outer pole member 18 may include a plurality of openings26, 28, 30, and 32 to assist in adjusting the length of the center pole14. In some cases, the inner pole member 16 may have a correspondingopening that may be adjusted to align with one of openings 26, 28, 30,and 32. Once the holes are aligned, a pin or other fastener (not shown)may be inserted into the openings of the outer pole member 18 and innerpole member 16 to maintain the alignment. For example, the pin or otherfastener may include a bolt, screw, pin, threaded knob, or otherfastener, as desired. In other cases, a spring biased button (not shown)may be provided on the inner pole member 16 and as the inner pole member16 is adjusted relative to the outer pole member 18, the button mayprotrude through one of openings 26, 28, 30, and 32 to secure theposition. A user may depress the button and move the inner pole member16 relative to the outer pole member 18 to adjust the length of thecenter pole 14. A tension device such as a threaded knob or springloaded mechanism may be used to provide unlimited adjustment of innerpole member 16 along the length of outer pole member 18.

In some cases, openings 26, 28, 30, and 32 may correspond to differentheights of the center pole 14 or heights of the tree to be suspended.For example, opening 32 may correspond to a tree height of 6 feet,opening 30 may correspond to a tree height of 7 feet, opening 28 maycorrespond to a tree height of 8 feet, and opening 26 may correspond toa tree height of 9 feet. In some cases, inserting the inner pole member16 all the way in outer pole member 18 may correspond to a tree heightof 5 feet. It will be understood that the foregoing tree heights aremerely illustrative and that any suitable heights may be used, asdesired.

In some cases, the inner pole 16 and outer pole 18 may be lockedtogether at any relative position by, for example, rotating a collet orthe like (not shown) that secures the inner pole relative to the outerpole. Such locking mechanisms are often used on telescoping legs of, forexample, tripods used for supporting cameras or the like. This may allowthe inner pole 16 to be secured relative to the outer pole 18 at anydesired position, resulting in any desired length of the center pole 14.

In some cases, support rods 22 and 23 may be provided to help supportthe center pole 14 at an angle to the base 12. As illustrated, supportrod 22 may have a first end connected to leg 11 and a second endconnected to a fastener plate 42. Similarly, support rod 23 may have afirst end connected to leg 13 and a second end connected to fastenerplate 42. In some cases, fastener plate 42 may be secured to the centerpole 14 using a u-shaped bolt 40 and a pair of nuts 46 and 48. U-shapedbolt 40 may be disposed about the center pole 14 and disposed throughtwo holes of fastener plate 42. Nuts 46 and 48 may be tightened on thetwo ends of the u-shaped bolt 40 to secure the fastener plate 42 to thecenter pole 14. In some cases, the angle of the center pole 14 relativeto the base 12 may be adjusted by sliding the u-shaped bolt 40 or otherconnecting mechanism, such as for example a sleeve, along the centerpole 14. In other cases, the u-shaped bolt 40 may be fixed relative tothe center pole 14 providing a stationary angle of the center pole 14relative to the base 12. In some cases, the upper ends of support rods22 and 23 may have a reduced diameter section that may be configured tobe received within corresponding openings of the connector plate 42. Theopenings of the connector plate 42 may be sized to pass the reduceddiameter of support rods 22 and 23, but not the non-reduced diameterportion. It is contemplated that any other suitable method of connectingthe support rods 22 and 23 to the center pole 14 may be used, asdesired.

In the illustrative embodiment, an upper end of the center pole 14 mayinclude an opening 20 configured to receive a portion of a treeconnector (example shown as 60 in FIGS. 5 and 6). While the opening 20is disposed at the upper end of the center pole 14, it is contemplatedthat the opening 20 or other connector may be disposed at any desiredlocation along the length of the center pole 14, as desired.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the illustrative tree stand 10 of FIG. 1in a collapsed state. As illustrated, the tree stand 10 shown in FIGS. 1and 2 may be collapsible, but this is not required. In alternativeembodiments, it is contemplated that the angles of the legs 11 and 13and the center pole 14 may be fixed and non-collapsible, such as bywelding or other methods of attachment, if desired.

To collapse the illustrative tree stand 10, support rods 22 and 23 maybe removed from fastener plate 42 and/or sleeve and rotated to belongitudinally parallel to legs 11 and 13, respectively. In some cases,this may require the loosening of the other end of the support rods 22and 23 attached to the legs 11 and 13. Additionally, fastener 38securing an end of the support rod 24 to leg 11 may be removed andsupport rod 24 may be longitudinally parallel with leg 13. In somecases, fastener 38 may then be used to secure the end of support rod 24to leg 13. Alternatively, fastener 39 may be removed from support rod 24and leg 13 and connector rod 24 may be positioned to be longitudinallyparallel with leg 11, if desired.

With the support rods 22, 23, and 24 moved, center pole 14 may be movedto a position in a plane with both legs 11 and 13. Also, the legs 11 and13 may be moved together adjacent the center pole 14. In some cases, theinner pole member 16 may be slid within outer pole member 18 to decreasethe overall length of the center pole 14, if desired.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the illustrative tree stand 10 of FIGS.1 and 2 suspending a tree 50. As illustrated, a tree 50 may be connectedto the upper end of stand 10 (e.g. opening 20), although it iscontemplated that a tree 50 may be connected to a part that is proximalof the upper end of stand 10. In any event, the height of the centerpole 14 may be adjusted so that the bottom of the tree trunk 72 of tree50 may be raised slightly above a plane extending through both legs 11and 13 of the base 12 of the stand 10. In other words, the center pole14 may be adjusted so that the bottom of the tree trunk 72 is raisedslightly off the ground, such as for example, about 1 inch, about 2inches, about 3 inches, about 4 inches, about 5 inches, about 6 inches,about 1 foot, or any other distance off the ground, as desired. As such,the tree 50 may be suspended in a generally vertical and generallystraight orientation relative to the ground.

In some cases, the stand 10 may be connected to the trunk 72 of the tree50 at a point at or above the center of gravity of the tree 50. In suchan attachment position, the weight of the tree 50 may help position thetree in a straight and upright orientation relative to the ground.Although the tree stand 10 is shown outside of the tree 50, it iscontemplated that some of the branches of the tree 50 may extend aroundthe stand 10, depending on the angle of the center pole 14 from the base12.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an illustrative tree connector 60configured to engage the opening 20 of the illustrative stand 10 ofFIGS. 1 and 2. As illustrated, the tree connector 60 may include a hookportion 62 that may be received within tree stand opening 20. Treeconnector 60 may include two arms 68 and 69 extending outward from abody of the tree connector 60, and may have a slight backward bend, butthis is not required. In such a configuration, the arms may betterengage the tree trunk 72, but this is not required. Also, arms 68 and 69may each include an opening 64 and 66, respectively, configured toreceive a strap for securing a tree to the tree connector 60.

While illustrative tree connector 60 has been shown and described, it iscontemplated that any suitable connector may be used to connect the treeto tree stand 10, such as, for example, an s-shaped hook and strap, astrap connected directly to the stand 10, a connector that clamps aroundthe tree trunk 72, or any other suitable connector as desired.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tree connector 60 of FIG. 5 coupledto trunk 72 of the illustrative tree 50. As illustrated, the treeconnector 60 may be positioned on a side of the trunk 72. Arms 68 and 69may extend around a portion of the trunk 72 and strap 70, which isconnected to the tree connector 60 through openings 64 and 66, mayextend around the remainder of the trunk 72.

As illustrated, the hook portion 64 of the tree connector 60 may beconfigured to be received in opening 20 of the inner pole member 16 ofthe center pole 14. In some cases, with the tree connector 60 attachedto the trunk 72 of the tree 50 above the center of gravity of the tree50, the tree 50 may be lifted so that hook portion 64 is positionedwithin opening 20, or stand 10 may be tilted at an angle so that theopening 20 engages the hook portion 64 of the tree connector 60. Then,the tree stand may be moved to a position with the base 12 flat on theground causing tree 50 to be lifted off and suspended above the ground.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the illustrative tree stand 10 of FIG. 1suspending a tree 50, similar to FIG. 4, with a container 74 positionedaround the lower end of the tree trunk. As illustrated, and to helpprovide water to a decorative tree, such as a Christmas tree, acontainer 74 may be positioned under the lower end of the trunk 72 ofthe tree 50, and may be configured to hold a liquid, such as water. Inthis configuration, the lower end of the trunk 72 may be exposed to thewater to water the tree 50. In some cases, the container 74 may beeasily removable by tilting the tree 50 on the stand 10.

While the foregoing disclosure has been described with reference tosuspending a tree, it is contemplated that the stand 10 may be used forsuspending other items, such as, for example, a workout heavy bag, aspeed bag, a campfire pit grill, a flower pot, as well as any othersuitable item, as desired.

Having thus described the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that yetother embodiments may be made and used within the scope of the claimshereto attached. Numerous advantages of the invention covered by thisdocument have been set forth in the foregoing description. It will beunderstood, however, that this disclosure is, in many respect, onlyillustrative. Changes may be made in details, particularly in matters ofshape, size, and arrangement of parts without exceeding the scope of theinvention. The invention's scope is, of course, defined in the languagein which the appended claims are expressed.

1. A tree stand comprising: a base for providing stability for the treestand, wherein the base includes a first leg and a second leg arrangedin a generally v-shaped base configuration; a center pole having a firstend, a second end, and a length extending therebetween, wherein thefirst end of the center pole is coupled to the base and the second endis spaced a distance from the base defining an angle between the centerpole and the base; and wherein only the second end of the center pole ofthe tree stand is configured to be coupled to a tree and suspend thetree therefrom.
 2. The tree stand of claim 1 further comprising a treeconnector configured to be attached to a tree and coupled to the centerpole at or adjacent the second end of the center pole.
 3. The tree standof claim 2 wherein the tree connector includes a pair of arms configuredto receive a strap to secure to the tree relative to the tree connector,the tree connector including a hook portion configured to engage thesecond end of the center pole.
 4. The tree stand of claim 2 wherein thetree connector is configured to be attached to the tree at a location ator above the center of gravity of the tree.
 5. The tree stand of claim 1wherein the tree is configured to be suspended from the tree stand sothat the bottom of the tree is suspended above the base.
 6. The treestand of claim 1 wherein the center pole is extendable.
 7. The treestand of claim 6 wherein the center pole includes an inner pole memberand an outer pole member configured to receive the inner pole member,wherein the center pole has a locked state and a moveable state, when inthe locked state, the inner pole member is fixed relative to the outerpole member and, in the moveable state, the inner pole member ismoveable relative to the outer pole member.
 8. The tree stand of claim 7wherein the outer pole member is coupled to the base and the inner polemember is configured to be coupled to the tree.
 9. The tree stand ofclaim 1 wherein the tree stand is collapsible.
 10. (canceled)
 11. Thetree stand of claim 1 further comprising a container configured to bepositioned about a portion of a lower end of the tree, wherein thecontainer is configured to hold a liquid.
 12. The tree stand of claim 1,wherein the angle between the center pole and the base is between 45 and90 degrees.
 13. A method for displaying a decorative tree, the methodcomprising: providing a tree stand including a base and a center pole,the center pole having a first end coupled to the base and a second enddisposed at a height above the base; and suspending the decorative treefrom the second end of the center pole.
 14. The method of claim 13wherein the coupling the decorative tree to the second end of the centerpole comprises: attaching a tree connector to a portion of a trunk ofthe decorative tree above the center of gravity of the decorative tree;and connecting the tree connector to the second end of the center pole.15. The method of claim 13 further comprising adjusting a length of thecenter pole according to a height of the decorative tree such that thedecorative tree does not rest on the base.
 16. A tree stand comprising:a base for providing stability to the stand, the base including a firstleg and a second leg, wherein a first end of the first leg is coupled toa first end of the second leg to form a generally v-shaped baseconfiguration; a center pole including an inner member and an outermember, wherein a first end of the outer member is coupled to the firstend of the first leg and to the first end of the second leg, wherein thesecond end of the outer member is configured to receive a first end ofthe inner member, wherein the second end of the inner member isconfigured to be coupled to a tree; a first support member extendingbetween the center pole and the first leg of the base; and a secondsupport member extending between the center pole and the second leg ofthe base, wherein the first and second support members provide supportfor suspending the tree from the second end of the center pole.
 17. Thetree stand of claim 16 further comprising a tree connector configured tobe secured to a tree, the tree connector including a hook configured toengage the second end of the inner pole member.
 18. The tree stand ofclaim 17 further comprising a tree secured to the tree connector,wherein the tree is suspended when the hook engages the second end ofthe inner pole member.
 19. The tree stand of claim 18 further comprisinga container positioned about a portion of a trunk of the tree, thecontainer configured to hold a liquid.
 20. The tree stand of claim 16wherein the inner pole member is configured to be moveable relative tothe outer pole member to adjust the length of the center pole.